


Sleeping In

by YumeArashi



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-14
Updated: 2013-03-14
Packaged: 2017-12-05 06:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/720032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeArashi/pseuds/YumeArashi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ezio drops by Leonardo's workshop to catch some sleep, and finds a surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeping In

**Author's Note:**

> Set early in AC2.

Ezio wasn’t particularly surprised to enter Leonardo’s workshop and find it empty and quiet.  Leonardo had many patrons clamoring for his time, of course, in addition to his trips to the markets for art or design supplies.  Ezio was welcome to wait, Leonardo had told him early on, and to treat the artist’s home as his own while he did so.

Naturally Ezio tried not to take advantage of his absent host’s generosity, using only the occasional medical supplies if he was wounded.  Still, Leonardo’s home was one of the few places in Firenze where Ezio felt safe enough to sleep deeply or at any length, and Leonardo was long since used to occasionally coming home and finding Ezio napping in his bed.

This time, however, when Ezio went upstairs, he found the bed already occupied.  Though it was almost noon, Leonardo was still sound asleep, curled up around one pillow his with sandy hair scattered across another.  It was an unexpectedly childish sight, and Ezio couldn’t help chuckling.

The soft laughter woke Leonardo, who blinked wearily at his visitor.  “Ezio?  What time is it?”

“Nearly noon, amico.  Just how late were you up last night?” he laughed.

Leonardo groaned and rolled over, burying his face in a pillow.  “I was working on a design that kept giving me trouble, and I lost track of time…”

“If it were anyone else, I’d have assumed there was a woman involved,” Ezio said, amused.  “Don’t tell me you were up until dawn again?”

“If it were you, then the assumption would have been correct,” Leonardo retorted, wearily moving to sit up.  “I might have seen a bit of sunrise.  What do you need?  If you give me a minute, I can make myself presentable.”

Ezio shook his head and gently pushed the artist back down.  “It is nothing which cannot wait.  You need your sleep still, and in honesty I was looking forward to some rest myself.  You are not the only one who was up all night.”

“Ah.” Leonardo lay back down, sleepily watching Ezio remove his weapons before laying down on the bare floor of the bedroom.  “Will that not be uncomfortable for you?”

Ezio shrugged.  “I’ve slept in worse places.”

“Perhaps, but the point of coming here is so that you can get some proper rest for a change, si?”  He shifted over to the far edge of the bed, rolling over to face away from Ezio.  “It is not a large bed, but you are welcome to it still.”

Ezio hesitated.  “Are you sure?  You will not be uncomfortable yourself?”

“I’ll be fine.  I’ll probably only sleep for a few hours more anyway,” Leonardo assured him.  Ezio nodded and settled into the narrow bed, facing the doorway.  Leonardo sighed softly at feeling the warmth of the other man’s back against his own.  He had admired the younger man from the day they’d met, but he knew his feelings were foolish.  This was probably the closest he could ever hope to be to Ezio.

“Mi dispiace, I should not have woken you.  Go back to sleep, Leonardo,” the assassin apologized, mistaking the cause of the sigh.

“It is nothing, I’m already more than half asleep again,” Leonardo told him, a wide yawn giving his words credence.

“Bene.  Good night then.”

“Good night….”

 

* * *

 

When Leonardo woke a few hours later, he was surprised to find that he was no longer lying back-to-back with Ezio.  The assassin had rolled over at some point, and Leonardo was now tucked neatly against the curve of Ezio’s body, strong arms wrapped around him and deep, even breaths ruffling his hair. 

The artist lay motionless, knowing Ezio to be an incredibly light sleeper.  All it would take would be the slightest shift, the smallest movement, and this moment would be gone forever.  He forced his racing heart to calm, relaxing as if still asleep.  Behind him, Ezio mumbled and shifted, causing Leonardo to hold his breath, but he did not wake.

Leonardo set himself to memorizing every aspect of the situation in all its finest detail - the welcome warmth of the other man, the feel of the lean body pressed against him, the tickling of his hair where Ezio’s warm breath stirred it, the golden slant of afternoon sun through his window.  And once he had committed everything to memory, he allowed himself to simply enjoy it.

It was some time before Ezio stirred as well.  Leonardo had seen Ezio transition instantly from sound sleep to full awareness at need, but apparently here the assassin felt safe and relaxed enough to wake gradually.  Very gradually, Leonardo realized with a blush as Ezio nuzzled at him, mumbling a “Good morning, cara.”

“Cara?  I do believe you have me mistaken for someone else,” Leonardo said dryly.

At the sound of his friend’s voice, Ezio’s eyes flew wide open and he nearly fell off the bed in surprise.  “Ah!  Er…cara…yes.  Um, if I have acted….inappropriately, I do apologize.”

Leonardo couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend’s discomfiture, even as he felt his heart tug a little with knowing what could never be.  “Do not trouble yourself.  I know you were not awake, and no man can control what he dreams.  Besides, that’s probably the only way we could have both fit into that bed without one of us falling out at some point,”  He hoped his reddened cheeks could be discounted as mere embarrassment at the awkward situation.

“I suppose that’s true,” Ezio seemed relieved, and Leonardo couldn’t help but tease him a little.

“And here I thought you didn’t feel safe sleeping many places.  I should have let you go on, I might have learned some very interesting things about your nocturnal habits.”

Ezio took a pillow and threw it at him.  “Bastardo.  Come on, ready to face the day at last?”

Leonardo nodded, smiling ruefully.  “Ready.”


End file.
